Archive for May, 2016

ShareActs 7:35-53 In Acts 7:35-53, St. Stephen hones in on his closing arguments. While he begins by acting as a defense attorney, by the end of his sermon he is acting as a prosecutor. It is this shocking reversal that must have caught his audience by surprise and provoked a response. I’m sure Stephen was […]

ShareActs 7:17-34 Moses had a mid-life crisis. Actually, he had two of them, 40 years apart. I like the symmetry of Moses’ life, and even though I doubt I’ll live to 120, there are some hidden lessons in Moses’ life. In Moses’ first mid-life crisis, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, […]

ShareActs 7:1-16 When Stephen was accused by the Jews of blasphemous words against the Temple and the Law, how did Stephen defend himself? I’ll tell you what he didn’t do. He didn’t try to offer scientific proof that Jesus rose from the dead. He could have done something like that. He could have begun by […]

ShareActs 11:19-30 Now is a good time to celebrate the life and ministry of St. Barnabas. Although Luke does not devote extended passages to him, as he does to both Peter and Paul, Barnabas figures prominently in the Acts of the Apostles. In fact, aside from Peter or Paul, there is more about Barnabas than […]

ShareActs 11:1-18 What is your response when God blesses others? Sometimes, we find it difficult to rejoice when others rejoice because we may think that for some reason it’s not right. When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the mother church, those of the circumcision were not pleased with what Peter had to say. “Those of the […]

ShareActs 10:34-48 And so the miracle of Pentecost continues. Pentecost was not only a day of God’s visitation but also the ongoing reality of the spread of His kingdom. In this passage, Peter connects what the Father has done through the Son with what the Son has done through the Spirit and what the Son […]

ShareActs 10:24-33 I can tell today’s lesson in one word: “obedience.” Thank you very much. Now we can all go back to our jobs in peace, having accomplished the world’s shortest Bible devotional. Eh? What’s that? Oh, there’s something more that should be said about this? In the grand scheme of things, Acts 10 is […]

ShareActs 10:1-23 “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” What a difficult truth for us to accept! Adam and Eve were the first ones who had difficulty with this. God had made the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil holy, so He set it apart from the other trees, saying, “You […]

ShareActs 9:32-43 I want you to know that I died today. I thought someone should know. You might not have noticed, but it’s not really your fault. You see: I’m a zombie. I’m one of the millions who are seen every day, walking around as if they’re living, but who in reality are dead. Some […]

ShareActs 9:20-31 In Acts 9, Jesus Christ has raised up another man to minister in His Name: Paul. We have a tendency to make heroes out of individuals and to treat them as individuals apart from the community that gives them life. Since the age of print and the consequent desire to display oneself as […]

Parents as Pastors – The Prayer Book and the Anglican Family

Give Us This Day – Matthew

SharePossibly the Most Important Theological Work of the 20th Century Pope John Paul II’s “Man and Woman He Created Them,” popularly known as “A Theology of the Body” may be the most important theological work of the 20th century. I say this because John Paul II is not only a first-rate theologian but also because […]

ShareExcellent Analysis of Eastern Orthodox Conversions in America Amy Slagle’s “The Eastern Church in the Spiritual Marketplace” is an excellent, scholarly look at conversions to Eastern Orthodoxy in America. As an Anglican priest and professor, I’ve been interested in Eastern Orthodoxy, and especially the churches in the U.S. However, information other than that provided by […]

ShareStriking New Insights Into the Rise and Growth of Christianity I’m a big fan of Rodney Stark because his works are both scholarly and readable, as well as being well-argued, well-researched, and positively revelatory. His new book, “The Triumph of Christianity,” is similar to his earlier work, “The Rise of Christianity.” However he not only […]

ShareWise and Wonderful, Profound and Practical Marriage is clearly a troubled institution in American culture, and that includes even among American Christians. The problem is that so often Christians have accepted the world’s definitions of marriage. While many Christian books have been written on marriage, Tim Keller’s “The Meaning of Marriage” is one of the […]

ShareGood Material but Too Episodic and Superficial Albert Moehler is a Christian phenomenon. His presence for the good of God’s Kingdom seems to be everywhere, and finally he’s written a book. While I agree with almost all that Moehler has to say in “Culture Shift” I still don’t think it’s a great book. This is […]